Low energy light bulbs?

Question

Hi,

Does anyone know anything about low energy light bulbs?

I am disabled and this means that I would have to get someone in to change the bulbs for me so I want to get it right before I buy them.

Can anyone recommend which ones are the most efficent bulbs available and what the different types are?

I need both screw and baynet cap bulbs.

Thanks for your help.


Would you consider signing my petitions on disabilty rights

Access to work http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/jobs-disability/
Talking Books http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Talking-Books/

Answer 1

They're fine if all you want is fixed level lighting and you tend to leave the lights on for long periods.
On the plus side they last a lot longer than ordinary filament bulbs, use a lot less electricity, don't get anywhere near as hot, and initially they're almost as bright.
On the downside, they cost a lot more, cannot be used with a dimmer, and they look downright ugly. Also, they don't like being turned on and off a lot. They take time to warm up, so when you turn then on they're only half as bright as you would expect, the brightness gradually increases after about 5 minutes. Over time they get dimmer, so after say, a year of use, the brightness will be a lot less than that of a new one.

They come in bayonet and LES (screw) fittings, and possibly SES as well, but be careful because they are generally larger than the equivalent standard filament bulbs. So, for example, a lamp with a glass shade that only just takes a small golf-ball size bulb won't accept the equivalent low-energy one as it physically won't fit. More often than not you can't fit the shade back on again.

Answer 2

Yes, you are partly right. Incandescent bulbs are great for chicken coops, water pipes, tool sheds, and Easy Bake Ovens. They are ok for any place where you don't mind replacing the bulb five times a year. (My average for home use was five times a year.) A cold fluorescent lamp, CFL, costs the same and lasts about two years. So every CFL I use SAVES me $5 a year in replacement costs alone. It also uses one fourth as much power during that time. As for the mercury, that is an imagined problem. In Japan they have a sport where people smash fluorescent tubes over each other's heads and there have been no problems other than minor cuts. When I was a kid we played with bits of mercury, plating pennies and chasing the blobs around in our hands, and there have been no apparent effects other than sending men to the moon and inventing the computers that you folks enjoy so much. (I personally designed an important part of the Dolby Digital Stereo system to put VH1 on the air.) So the CFLs are not a con. The con is outlawing incandescent bulbs, which are still necessary to a large part of our farming and production sectors. We really need to put a stop to this insane desire to tell each other what to do in every detail of life. Mankind is simply not competent to regulate each other in numbers larger than a city.

Answer 3

My Husband is disabled and he got some sent through the post ffree, from the DLA, they are the long ones, and the good thing is they do not need to be changed as much as normal light bulbs, they last a lot longer.


Please read my email that i have sent to you on how to get some for free.

Answer 4

PHILLIPS HALOGEN ENERGY SAVING BULBS LAST FOR 6000 HOURS AND GET EXTREMELY BRIGHT, WE GOT OURS FOR £1

Answer 5

I hope this helps you.
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/energy_saving_products/types_of_energy_saving_recommended_products/lightbulbs_and_fittings/